Wicked Game - part three
by Prue
Summary: Sequel to "A Thousand Stars".


Wicked Game

By Prue 

Part 3 - "To have you back"

**Disclaimer** - See [part one][1]   
**Sex/violence/subtext** - No, no and not a chance.   
**Feedback** - All praise, constructive criticism, and death threats can be sent to [prue@xenafan.com][2]   
**Dedication** - To all my millions of adoring fans...I mean, to my great friends, Tali, Amy and Aly.

_"Because you hold the heart of someone new_   
_I'll take a chance on time_   
_Hold out here for something true_   
_Standing out of line_   
_But I would wait a hundred years to hear you say my name_   
_The way you did before he came, the way you will again"_

- "Hold the heart", Big Country   


Ethan Williams 6:57 PM   
Just a few minutes until she meets me! Finally, I'm going to have my chance to win her back! Everything just seems so perfect now; nothing could go wrong. I'm delirious! I'm over the moon! I have to go to the bathroom....

Michael Bowman-Flavell 6:58 PM   
That toolbox was getting to be a bit uncomfortable. So now I'm sitting on a can of paint. And I'm still thinking about Isabel and my bastard brother.

Pulling up outside Diana's, Isabel got out of the car and smoothed down her plain black skirt and white 3/4 blouse. She knew she probably looked like a department store sales assistant, but she didn't really care. She wasn't going to dress up for Ethan, not tonight. Taking a deep breath, she gave the doorman a brilliant smile and stepped inside. She could see Ethan already, sitting at their table for two, waving at her madly.   
"I'm meeting him." she murmured to a waiter and gestured towards where Ethan was sitting. The waiter nodded and escorted her to the table.   
"Hi Isabel!" Ethan cried, gaining the attention from several people sitting at nearby tables.   
"Keep your voice down!" she hissed, and allowed the waiter to pull her chair out for her. Sitting down, she folded her napkin neatly in her lap, and motioned for Ethan to do the same. Sighing, she realized she would never have had to remind Michael how to behave at a restaurant. She wondered what he was doing now, and whether or not he knew she was here with Ethan.   
"You look great tonight, Isabel." Ethan leaned over and squeezed her hand. Feeling uncomfortable, she pulled away and began studying the menu.   
"Order anything you like." Ethan said breezily. "I have Dad's credit cards with me." Isabel just nodded her head.   
"Isabel, I want to talk to you." he said and grasped her hand, letting the laminated menu fall to the floor.   
"What about?" she asked hesitantly.   
"I think you know, Isabel." he replied softly._ I wish I didn't!_ She screamed silently. _Shut up, Ethan!_   
"I love you," he continued. "I always have, and I always will. I let go of you once, Isabel, and I won't let go of you again." He reached over and pulled a loose strand of hair back behind her ear.   
"Ethan, stop it." she said, pulling away from him. "In case you forgot, I'm dating your brother!"   
"Ditch him." A small smile played on Ethan's lips and he shrugged. "Mike'll find someone else. But I'll never find another you." he whispered.   
"Don't you even care about your brother?" she asked, amazed at Ethan's selfish attitude.   
"Come on, Iz, I hardly know the guy! I'm closer to my penpal in Cuba than I am to him!"   
She shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. "Ethan, I'm sorry, but I love him. It sure sounds like you don't, but I _do_, and being with him makes me happy. I thought you were my friend; that you'd want that for me."   
"I do want you to be happy." Ethan argued. "I just wish you were happy with me." he added softly.   
"Ethan, I can't help it if I don't love you anymore. My heart belongs with Michael. I wish you would respect my decision."   
"I can't." he murmured. "I can't live my life without you."   
"Yes you can." she said firmly. "And I'm afraid you're going to have to. I'm sorry Ethan." She grabbed her handbag off the table and stood up. "I'm sorry we had to end this way."   
"Isabel, don't." he pleaded, and grabbed her arm.   
"Ethan, let go of me!"   
"I can't Isabel. I can't let you go." His eyes were wild and his every feature seemed to be thrown off balance. _He's completely lost the plot_, she thought, a wave of panic washing over her.   
"Don't leave, Isabel." he begged, pulling her towards him. "You mean everything to me."   
"And Michael means everything to me!" she cried. At least half the restaurant was staring at them now, but she barely noticed. "Ethan, let me go and we can forget about this, okay?" she asked, lowering her voice. "Please."   
Something must have begun to click inside his head because he let go of her and started to back away.   
"I'm sorry." he whispered.   
"Thank you, Ethan." she replied, and flashed him a grateful smile. "I'll talk to you later, okay?"   
And with that she walked off into the night.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Hand me a tissue, Sean." Ashley sniffled as she wiped her eyes on the back of her hand. After going out for dinner, she and Sean had come back to Ashley's house to watch _Romeo and Juliet_ on cable TV, much to Sean's dismay.   
"There's none left." he replied, turning the empty box upside down. "You used them all up during the wedding scene."   
"I knew I should have saved some for the end." she murmured, and proceeded to wipe her eyes on her sleeve. "This is so sad!"   
Sean just rolled his eyes. "How can girls like this stuff? It's so depressing."   
"No, it's not." Ashley argued. "It's beautiful!"   
"Like you?" he teased.   
"Even more so." she answered, grinning. "You know, I always think of Michael and Isabel when I watch this movie."   
"Why?" he asked. "You think they're both going to kill themselves in the name of love?"   
"No, but I know someone who might." she answered seriously.   
"Ethan?"   
She nodded. "The poor guy doesn't have a clue. He seems to think that he can just pick up where he left off with Isabel, and Michael's been depressed about it ever since Ethan arrived."   
"You don't think Isabel's going to hook up with him again?" Sean asked, concerned.   
"I doubt it." she said. "But from what Isabel's been telling me, he seems pretty persistent. She called before and said she was going to talk to him tonight though."   
"Does Michael know?"   
"Beats me." she answered. "She hadn't been able to get on to Mike when she called me." She shrugged. "I wouldn't worry too much though. Things are probably all right now."   
"Let's hope so." Sean replied, and then paused. "Ash? What the matter?"   
"Romeo and Juliet are dead now and we missed it!" she cried.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After two hours of mindless driving around town, Isabel pulled into the carpark of their local video hire store, Carrington Flicks, and walked into the store. Surfing through the shelves of new releases, she realized she wasn't looking for anything in particular, and was about to leave when she saw a familiar blond head a few aisles away.   
"Hey Lucas!" she called out, causing her younger brother to drop one of the martial arts videos he had stacked in his arms.   
"Hey Iz!" he said, and picked up his video.   
"How was your date?" they both chorused at once, and laughed. Before she had left to meet Ethan, Lucas had told her he was going out that night with Lauren Murphy, a pretty sophomore from their school.   
"Terrible." replied Lucas. "That girl doesn't have a brain in her head!"   
"So you left?" Isabel asked.   
"Yeah." he said. "I told her I had to pick some relatives up from the airport tomorrow morning and that I had to be home early. I only stayed for about two hours!"   
"Two hours, Lucas?" she chastised. "How low!"   
"Speak for yourself!" he said defensively. "I thought you'd be out with Ethan a lot later than this!"   
"So did I. We had a bit of a disagreement. I was only there for about ten minutes." She continued to relate the incidents of the evening to her brother, randomly picking videos off the shelves while she talked.   
"Oh dear." Was all Lucas could say when she had finished. "What are you going to do?"   
Isabel shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I think I'm going to have to talk to Mike about it." She sighed. "But enough about my problems. You seem pretty depressed too. You've got about a dozen Jackie Chan movies there!"   
"What can I say?" Lucas replied, giving her a lopsided grin. "Its called therapy."   
Isabel smiled in return. "Want me to drive you home?"   
"Sure." he said gratefully, staring at the fat raindrops that had begun to hit the windowpanes. "It beats walking in the rain."   
"Come on then." she said. "I'll pay for the movies. It's the least I can do, considering I'll be whinging to you about my love life for the next couple of hours!"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Michael awoke the next morning with a sick, empty feeling in his stomach. He hadn't come back to the house until about one o'clock that morning, and Ethan still hadn't been home then. Frowning, he switched on his clock radio, and tried to focus on the morning news.   
"Good morning New Jersey, and it is a beautiful Sunday morning…temperature highs of 62 degrees…and on to this morning's news…armed robbery downtown…murder trial in Atlantic City…defendant found guilty…"   
He sighed. He wished he could call Isabel, but it was so early and he didn't want to risk waking her up - though she usually woke up at the crack of dawn anyway. Throwing his tanned legs over the side of the bed, he tossed the blankets aside and pulled a sweater over the thin tee shirt he'd worn to bed. Walking down the hall, he knocked tentatively on his brother's door.   
"Ethan?" he asked softly. "Ethan?" he repeated, this time a little louder. Hearing no reply, he pushed open the door, only to find his brother's bed neatly made, and no sign of any of his possessions littering the floor or dresser. In fact, there was nothing of Ethan's left except for a folded sheet of lined paper on the end of his bed. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Michael unfolded the paper and began to read.

Dear Dad, Constance and Mike:   
I'm really sorry I left so suddenly, but I couldn't stay here so I'm on my way back to New York. I went to dinner with Isabel last night, and things didn't go quite as expected. Please don't blame her though, it's not really her fault.   
Dad, I'm sorry I didn't stay around long enough for some of the fatherly bonding stuff we had planned. I promise I'll be back one day soon to take you up on that fishing offer! And don't forget if you want to get in touch, you have my mom's address.   
Constance, I'm really glad I got to know you while I was here; you're the best stepmom anyone could wish for. Thanks for making me feel like part of the family.   
Mike, I'm so sorry about what happened with Isabel while I was here. I never meant to hurt either of you, but I guess I did. She loves you more than I could ever let you know, and I know the feeling's mutual. You're both very lucky to have found each other.   
Best wishes,   
Ethan.

Wiping beads of sweat off his forehead, Michael tore down the stairs, Ethan's note clutched in his hand.   
"Dad!" he cried, bursting into the livingroom, where both his parents were reading segments of the local paper. "Ethan's gone."   
"Gone where?" his father asked calmly, lowering his paper.   
"Back to New York." Michael answered helplessly.   
"What?" his father hollered, throwing down the paper and knocking a cup of tea over, the hot liquid trickling on to the creamy carpet.   
"Steven!" his mother cried.   
"When did he leave?" his father asked angrily. "And how long have you known about this?"   
"I only just found out about this!" Michael said, just as angrily. "This isn't my fault! I just found the note, I don't know when he left." This morning, I guess."   
"How would he have gotten there?" his father asked.   
"He could have changed his plane ticket so that he got an earlier flight." his mother suggested. "He could even be in New York now. It's not a long flight."   
"You are _not_ helping, Constance!" his father said frustratedly. He turned to his son. "Michael, will you see if Isabel can come over now? We're going to the airport as soon as she arrives."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"He did _what_?" Isabel cried, as she read Ethan's letter, ten minutes later in the Bowman-Flavell's livingroom.   
"Come on sweetheart," Michael's mother coaxed. "We have to go to the airport and see if we can catch him."   
"How do you know he's going to fly there?" Michael asked. "He might have taken a train."   
"I just checked." his father said tiredly, coming out of his office. "The first train today to New York doesn't leave for another half an hour, and there's no one at the train station at the moment who matches Ethan's description. I say the airport is our best bet."   
Michael nodded his head. "Come on then. We haven't got much time."   
They loaded into Mr. Bowman-Flavell's car and tore down the driveway.   
"This is my fault." Isabel said sadly, as they sped down the streets of Carrington. "If I hadn't gone to see him last night, this would never have happened."   
"Don't blame yourself Isabel." Michael said softly, and wrapped his arm around her.   
"Are you upset that I went out with him last night?" she asked.   
"No." Michael answered. "I was worried at first, but I trust you. Besides, I know you tried to let me know anyway."   
"You did?"   
"Bella has never forgotten to give me a phone message." he replied, smiling. "Now let's cheer up and hope we're not too late."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Twenty minutes later, they pulled into the guest carpark at the Carrington Domestic Airport.   
"Okay, let's split up." Michael's father called out over the noise of the runway. "Michael, you check the restaurants, souvenir stores and mens rooms. Constance, you check the departure lounges. Isabel, you check out the ticket desks and the ladies rooms. I'll go to the help desk, and we'll meet here again in half an hour, got it?" All three nodded their heads.   
"Your dad wants me to look for Ethan in the ladies rooms?" Isabel whispered to Michael. "I don't remember him being like that!"   
"People can change, Isabel." Michael said seriously. "You never know!"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Half an hour later, Isabel dragged herself to their meeting point, after almost spotting "Ethan" several times.   
"Any luck?" she asked Michael, and he shook his head. "Mrs. Bowman-Flavell?"   
"None whatsoever." she replied sadly.   
"Any luck?" they chorused, as Michael's father approached them.   
"In a way." he said and sighed. "He was definitely here, but he's gone now."   
"What do you mean?" Michael's mother asked.   
"Three service clerks have the same story. A teenage boy matching Ethan's description was here at about four o'clock this morning, trying to change a ticket to New York City. They weren't able to get him on a plane straight away, but they managed to book him on to a later flight."   
"Well what are we waiting for then?" Michael asked.   
"The plane left ten minutes ago." his father replied sadly.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Two weeks later, Isabel sat at her usual carrel at the school library, an unopened Math textbook in front of her.   
"Penny for your thoughts?" a husky voice from behind her asked.   
"They're worth a lot more than that." she teased, turning around to face Michael. "Especially since I'm thinking about you."   
"Now that's what I like to hear." he said and grinned, leaning over to give her a kiss, which she returned eagerly.   
"What's that?" she asked, pointing to a folded piece of computer paper in his palm.   
"I got an e-mail from Ethan." he replied, passing her the sheet. "I haven't talked to him at all since he left. Dad's been talking to him nearly every day, but I just haven't known what to say."   
" 'Dear Ethan' would be a start." she quipped, and flashed him one of those breathtaking smiles he loved so much.   
"Ha ha." he replied and put his hands on his hips. "Want to read it?" He held the paper out to her.   
She nodded her head and started reading.

**To:** m.bowman@pwh.zzn.com   
**From:** ethan@mommasboy.zzn.com   
**Subject:** [none]

Hi Mike,   
I'm very sorry for all the trouble I caused while I was staying with you. Hopefully you're all okay now. I've been talking to Dad a lot, you know.   
I've actually met a girl back here. Her name's Marina, and we get along very well. I hope you and Isabel are still together.   
I've also been keeping myself very busy; I've started some volunteer work at our local hospital (yes, how noble of me!) and I'm building a fence for my mom. There's been a lot of break-ins in my neighborhood lately, you know.   
Hope to hear from you soon,   
Ethan.

"He's building a fence for his mom?" Isabel grinned.   
"That's what it said." Michael shrugged. "He's such a momma's boy."   
"Are you going to write back?" she asked.   
"I suppose I should." Michael said, sighing. "I just don't know what to say." He gave her a meaningful gaze.   
"Don't look at me!" she protested. "I already gave you a suggestion!"   
"Hmmm." Michael licked his lips. "You know, I have another suggestion…" he said seductively.   
"Oh yeah?" she asked, arching one eyebrow.   
"Oh yeah!" he echoed, and leaned in to give her a passionate kiss.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Late that night, Michael logged into his e-mail account, and re-read the e-mail Ethan had sent him. Thinking of Isabel, he clicked on the 'compose' button and began typing his message.   
"Dear Ethan…"   


THE END.   


   [1]: http://www.envy.nu/prue/wickedgame/part1.html
   [2]: http://www.envy.nu/prue@xenafan.com



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